Bruce Springsteen never disappoints, my wife said after last night (Aug. 30, though the calendar already turned to Aug. 31) had after The Boss ended a 4-hour, 1-minute, 34-song marathon.
He never mails it in. He never gives less than his all. He has a great time and, this is key, his complete, unpretentious enjoyment is contagious. This is why he remains, a month short of his 67th birthday, a human Dynamo on stage.
That said, I have some thoughts about this specific show:
1. He played nine songs from his first two albums, an unexpected treat highlighted by his guitar work on “Kitty’s Back,” which is one of my absolute favorites.
2. He essentially took requests, playing songs ID’d on placards waived by fans. Consider what this means: The set list, to at least a small degree, was not decided in advance and included songs Springsteen said hadn’t been played in a while. The band, to make this happen, has to be ready, to be prepared, which means rehearsing nearly everything recorded or played over a half century of performing. That level of preparation was evident in the seamless way the band moved through the set as though they’d been playing each of these songs every night for a year.
3. His cover choices were inspired: a fiery rendition of Eddie Cochrane’s “Summertime Blues,” Manfred Mann’s “Pretty Flamingo” (more on that in a minute, and Isley Brothers’ “Twist and Shout” (by way of The Beatles, of course) and “Shout.” And “Jersey Girl,” which isn’t really a cover anymore, despite being written by Tom Waits. It has become a Springsteen signature and was a perfect closer.
4. You can’t have too many Isley Brothers’ songs in your set.
5. He opened “Pretty Flamingo” with a story about a young Bruce watching a red-headed woman walk down the street outside a luncheonette he used to frequent. He said everything would stop — Max punctuating it with a snare shot stopping everyone — as a show of respect. As he sang, it became clear where he was going, who the respect was for, the familiar climax focusing attention on Patti Scalfa, I.e., Mrs. Springsteen.
6. “Tenth Avenue Freezeout,” the story of the band, honored the dead — Clarence Clemons and Danny Federici — with a video montage that started as he sang “the Big Man joined the band.” This, The Boss said, was the most important part.
I could go on, but I’m still exhausted.
Here’s the set list:
New York City Serenade
Blinded by the Light
Does this Bus Stop at 82nd Street?
It’s Hard to be a Saint in the City
Spirit in the Night
Summertime blues (Eddie Cochran cover)
4th of July (Sandy)
Kitty’s Back
Incident on 57th Street
Rosalita (Come Out Tonight)
Pretty flamingo (Manfred Mann cover — repaying the love?)
Atlantic City
I’m Going Down
Darlington County
Workin’ on the Highway
Downbound tTain
I’m on Fire
Hungry Heart
Out in the Street
Living Proof
Candy’s Room
She’s the One
Because the Night (Live 75-85 lyrics)
The Rising
Badlands
ENCORE:
Secret Garden
Jungleland
Born to Run
Dancing in the Dark
Tenth Avenue Freezeout
Twist and Shout (Isley Brothers/The Beatles cover)
Glory Days
Shout (Isley Brothers cover)
Jersey Girl (Tom Waits cover, with verse added by Springsteen)
Hank Kalet 